


Aftermath

by nanaa127



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bad hunt, Descriptions of Blood, Duty, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Altissia (Final Fantasy XV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:47:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20118331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanaa127/pseuds/nanaa127
Summary: It's the first time one of them has nearly died since leaving Insomnia - of course it would be Ignis, the eager bastard - and Gladio is feeling just a bit traumatized by the whole experience.





	Aftermath

Gladio bent forward in the rickety chair, elbows resting on his knees as he rubbed his hand over his eyes. Fuck, but he was tired. A few hours ago, he'd briefly considered crawling into bed, wrapping Ignis in his arms and at least pretending like sleep was a possibility, but almost immediately decided against it. Gladio already knew it wasn't going to happen for him and he also hadn't wanted to risk waking the other man. Besides, he preferred watching Iggy sleep. Was it a little creepy? Sure, maybe. Did he give a shit? Hells no. It wasn't like there was anyone around to judge him anyway, and after the night they'd had, he'd merrily tape his eyelids open and go full-on stalker if it meant he could keep the other man in his sight at all times. 

Ignis lay hudded on the narrow bed, curled on his side facing Gladio, his body lax with sleep. The thin coverlet was draped around Ignis' lean hips, outlining the long length of his legs. One hand was tucked under his chin while the other was stretched out towards Gladio, as if seeking out the large, warm body that often lay next to his own. His lips were slightly parted as he breathed in and out, slow, deep and steady. Iggy's pale skin - still too pale, but clean and unmarred, thank the Six - damn near glowed in the warm flush of thin golden light that streamed into the cheap motel room through flimsy orange curtains. Ash brown strands of soft, mussed hair fell over his forehead and obscured his closed eyes. Gladio clenched his fists, beating back the urge to reach out and brush the hair away and run his hands all over Iggy's flawlessly healed body. _He's alive_, Gladio reminded himself again. _He'll be fine. This time._

It had been close. Way, way too fucking close. Ignis had been knocked down a hill during the fight, and it had taken longer than it should have to find him. Between the darkness of the night and the black of Ignis' clothes, Gladio hadn't been able to see the blood, but he'd definitely been able to smell it. The sharp, coppery scent had hung in the air, thick and cloying in a way that was only possible when a deadly amount had been spilled. Gladio had swallowed down the nauseating panic creeping up his throat and dropped down beside the advisor's body, snatching an Elixir out of the armiger before his knees had even hit the ground.

"Ignis? You with me?" Gladio had carefully rolled the other man onto his back, grimacing at the low groan of pain that answered him. "Prompto, I need some light."

"Noct?" The prince's name had been nothing more than a choked exhale. "Noct?"

"I'm right here, Specs." Noctis had fallen beside Gladio and fumbled for his advisor's hand, his voice clogged with fear. "I'm alright. Hang on, okay? Just hang on."

Gladio had first wanted to check how bad the wounds were and whether there were any displaced bones that needed to be realigned before using magic, but the sticky, saturated fabric of Ignis' torn clothing and the feeling of damp warmth seeping into his pants had wiped all those intentions away. _Save life first and deal with fucked up bones later, dumbass,_ Gladio had grimly berated himself as he'd shattered the vial. It had been none too soon - when Prompto had finally fumbled on his flashlight, the sheer amount of red that was pooled around Ignis' unconscious figure had been terrifying. Prompto had dropped his flashlight and stumbled away to puke behind a rock as Gladio had gathered Ignis' limp form in his arms. 

The short hike back the Regalia had been a quiet one. Noctis had wordlessly climbed into the backseat and sat with Ignis pulled up over his lap, clinging to his chamberlain like his life depended on it. The prince's - king's - face had been pale, nearly as pale as Ignis' own chalk white skin. Considering how Prompto's hands had been shaking, there had been no question that Gladio would be driving. He'd stomped down on the gas pedal and flew down the road, leaving a trail of scorched rubber on the pavement. Gladio had almost hoped that Ignis would sit up and scold him for his reckless driving, but the other man remained silent and still.

A soft little snort from the bed drew Gladio's attention and he held his breath as Ignis shifted. Another small huff and green eyes blinked open, gaze still hazy with exhaustion despite seven hours of uninterrupted sleep. "Gladio?" he murmured.

"Hey." Gladio pulled his chair in closer so that Ignis wouldn't have to squint to see him. "Noct is fine. So is Prompto. They're probably still sleeping in the other room."

Ignis hummed with satisfaction at the information given and gently stretched his arms over his head. Gladio watched greedily as Ignis' back arched, exposing a smooth strip of skin between the hem of his t-shirt and the waistband of his boxer briefs. "And yourself?" 

"Oh, I'm just great," Gladio muttered.

Ignis settled back down and gave him a considering look. "Are you?"

Gladio sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, viciously yanking at a tangle he found at the back of his head. The tug of pain jolted his sluggish brain. "Gods, what the fuck do you think, Iggy? You damn near died last night."

A small frown pulled down at Ignis' brows, like he thought Gladio was being totally unreasonable and really had no business being upset. Stripped of the formal clothing and stern confidence that he wore like armor, he looked incredibly young and confused just then. Gladio would have found it endearing if he hadn't been so fucking mad.

"Ah," Ignis said uncertainly. He pushed himself up to sitting on shaky arms and fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand. Once they were perched at their rightful place, Ignis faced Gladio once more, arms crossed in front of his chest. "But I didn't die. It appears I'm still quite alive."

Gladio was certain that Ignis' extensive education must have included a course on how to be deliberately obtuse. It was amusing when the chamberlain unleashed it on unsuspecting bureaucrats, but not so much when Gladio was on the receiving end of it. "Not the point," he growled, "and you know it."

"Isn't it, though." Ignis stared at him for a moment longer before something in his expression shifted. He shuffled over a few inches and pat the mattress next to him. "You look as if you've barely slept, Gladio." Ignis had the gall to sound chastising, as if _Gladio_ had done something wrong by trying to make sure that Ignis didn't unexpectedly expire during the night. "Come join me?" 

Gladio recognized a misdirection when he saw one - as uncharacteristically obvious as it was, there was no way to miss it - and he was tempted to deny Ignis' request just to be contrary. He was _pissed_, okay, and he didn't need Ignis to try and soothe him out of his temper. He wasn't Noctis, for fuck's sake. Gladio was about to refuse out of spite before he remembered the tiny, agonized sounds that had been squeezed from Ignis before he'd passed out, and Ifrit's flaming balls - why would he stupidly throw away any chance to hold Iggy close to him when he'd come so close to losing those opportunities forever?

WIth a pointed look, Gladio gave in and climbed onto the bed next to Ignis after kicking off his shoes. He leaned up against the rickety backboard and Ignis draped himself over Gladio's chest. He removed Ignis' glasses again and then firmly wrapped his arms around the slender man. Subtle tremors shook his spare frame, and Gladio made a mental note to make sure Ignis drank something other than coffee. He and Noctis used to joke that Iggy would spill Ebony rather than blood if he was cut open. Now the thought made him want to hurl.

"What time is it?" Ignis murmured against his chest.

"Who cares? We ain't goin' anywhere today." Gladio leaned down and buried his nose in the other man's clean, unstyled hair. 

"But - "

"No buts, Iggy, we already agreed on it. We're staying here until your pale ass stops glowing in the dark." 

Ignis tried to push himself away from Gladio, but the bigger man tightened his embrace and Ignis didn't offer much resistance. "That's completely unnecessary. I'm fi - "

Gladio cut him off. "I swear to every single one of the Six, Iggy, if you say you're fine I'm tying you up in the backseat and letting Prompto drive the rest of the way when we get back on the road."

A beat of silence followed the threat and then Ignis' breath ghosted across Gladio's bare skin in a small huff of indignation. "That is a truly frightening suggestion indeed," he said. "I'll concede, if only because I'd like for us all to survive this trip."

"Good call." Gladio started to gently rub small circles on the back of Ignis' shoulder. The fact that Iggy had given in without argument was a another big, flashing neon sign that he wasn't even close to one hundred percent, and Gladio felt even better about their decision to stay put. Whether he wanted to admit to it or not, Iggy needed time to recover because Gods, there had been _so much fucking blood._

The deliberate motion of Gladio's hand worked its magic and he could feel Ignis slowly melting against him. The chamberlain was a lean, willowy man, but he was also solid muscle head to foot, which meant he was a comforting, heavy weight against Gladio's own packed frame. His right hand trailed down Ignis' back until it reached the hem of the plain shirt the other man was wearing. Gladio slipped his fingers under the thin cotton material and lightly stroked upwards, reveling in the feel of smooth, warm skin under his touch. His fingers roamed along the strong planes of Ignis' back, delicately traveling up and over the bumps of his spine and then carefully tracing outwards along the graceful curve of each rib. His hand trailed over Iggy's flank, up and down until it finally came to a rest right over the other man's heart. He pressed his palm flat against Iggy's back and focused on the steady rise and fall under his hand.

Gladio still didn't know what sort of damage Ignis had sustained, or where the worst of the wounds had been. The magic had done its job, and by the time he'd wrestled Ignis into the cramped shower under the bare, dim bulb in their bathroom, the only signs that their hunt had gone to shit were in the dark smears liberally painted across Iggy's translucent, unbroken skin and the red stains that his discarded clothing left on the tiled floor. Gladio had propped up the wilting advisor under the warm water spray as he vigorously scrubbed at the dried blood, watching with revulsion as it swirled down the drain. He was certain that this entire mess would be on heavy rotation through his nightmares for a while.

"What the hells were you thinking?" Gladio muttered. 

"About what? I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific."

"Noct told me what happened last night. You pushed him out of the way." 

"Ah. Well. Noctis was in imminent danger, and so I removed him from that danger." Gladio waited for more, but that was apparently all Ignis had to say on the subject.

"And you couldn't have done that without getting yourself ripped to shreds?"

Ignis twitched against him. "I'll admit that hadn't been part of the plan."

Gladio snorted. "Part of what plan? Did you even have one?" 

"Yes. My plan was to ensure that his Majesty wasn't killed." Ignis' tone turned distinctly icy and Gladio winced a bit. "I did nothing you wouldn't have done had you been in my position, Gladiolus."

And that right there was the damn problem, wasn't it. Gladio hadn't been in that position, and Ignis had. He was supposed to be the King's Shield, and he was prepared to take the hits for Noct because that was born and bred to do. It was pretty much the first fucking line of his life description. He expected pain and wounds and sacrifice, but for _himself_. Not for the bespectacled nerd he'd grown up with. None of his training had covered what to do when his overachieving bastard of a best friend decided that he should do Gladio's job on top of his own. None of his instruction had discussed how to react when his sometime-lover ended up on the ground in sheer agony, bleeding his life away. 

When they'd begun this roadtrip, Gladio had imagined that it would be something of a bachelor party all the way to Altissia. They'd do some fishing, some camping, some recipe testing, and then Noct would get married and live happily ever after, the end. Then the godsdamned Empire had to go and destroy life as he knew it, and now they were on some crazy ass quest to claim magical weapons from long-dead kings, constantly strapped for cash and living a more brutal life than he'd ever imagined. Despite the constant danger they faced, last night was the first time that the very real threat of being killed had actually hit home. Out here, if they fucked up, there would be no cavalry to save them. Ignis was really the one person Gladio could depend on to help him dig their way out of any shit piles they landed in, and if he went down...

Gladio suspected that he'd been silent too long because Ignis tilted his head so their eyes could meet. Gladio saw Ignis every day, and he was still constantly caught off guard by how outrageously beautiful the man was. "Gladio. It's not your fault."

"Never said it was," Gladio replied gruffly. 

Ignis ran his finger along the sharp line of Gladio's collarbone, and the Shield shivered. A hot curl of desire unfurled low in his belly, but he iced it away. Not now. Later. Definitely later. "You may hold the title of Shield, Gladio, but we all bear the responsibility of protecting Noctis. You needn't do it alone."

"It ain't your place - "

"It is," Ignis interrupted calmly. "I didn't put myself through full Crownsguard training because I had a surplus of free time in my schedule."

He couldn't argue with that. Gladio sighed. "I just don't like seeing you hurt."

"I understand, and please believe me when I say I shall strive to avoid a repeat performance of last night." The corners of Ignis' lips curled into a rare, wry smile, and Gladio couldn't help but smile back. "However, Noctis is my priority. Always. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure his safety and success."

Well shit. Gladio knew Iggy wasn't kidding about doing whatever it took; there was no one that understood Ignis' love and dedication to the royal brat better than Gladio. He wasn't sure that even Noct understood the incredible depth of Ignis' devotion. There was something a little cracked about it, but then again Gladio thought they were probably both a little nuts, considering how they'd grown up.

"Yeah, I know," Gladio admitted. He wasn't going to insult Iggy's pride and professionalism and demand that the chamberlain back off. He also didn't want to pull one of Ignis' wicked daggers out of his sorry ass. "Just...be careful. It's gonna get ugly if I have to haul Princess and Prompto around Lucis myself."

"I'll do my best," Ignis said solemnly. There were no promises made, but for Gladio, it was enough. It had to be. "You know you can't call Noctis 'Princess' anymore. It's inappropriate. Or rather, even more inappropriate than it was when he was still a prince."

Please. As if Gladio was ever going to stop. "It's fine. He likes it," he declared.

"Does he? I must have misunderstood all those complaints he had about it when he was younger."

"He just needed time to get used it," Gladio reassured Ignis.

"Get used to the nickname or get used to the knowledge that you weren't going to desist in using it?"

"Both." Gladio grinned when Ignis hummed skeptically. "You hungry? Thirsty?"

"Yes, actually," Iggy murmured. The tension had seeped out of his limbs, and he was loose and relaxed against Gladio once more. He sounded like he was halfway asleep again. "I wouldn't mind some sort of caffeine."

"Want to grab breakfast?"

"Perhaps later, once Noct and Prompto are awake. I'm rather comfortable at the moment."

"Yeah, sure," Gladio said. He wriggled down further so that he was laying flat against the pillows, and Ignis made a small sound of protest at the movement before readjusting himself. Gladio wondered if maybe he could sneak in a couple hours of shuteye before the other two knocked down their door. With the reality of Ignis sleepy and warm and alive against him, he thought it just might be possible.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Pushing this first ffxv fic out of the nest... lol I think I crammed just about every ffxv-related trope into this but I hope it was still a good read. Just wanted a little indulgent Iggy appreciation! Unbeta-ed, so all mistakes are mine.
> 
> Thanks for reading! :D


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